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Ask Deanie
| Archives Deanie Kepler's previously published columns | SMU Parent Liaison Deanie Kepler offers advice on helping your student. |
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My Student is Going to be Home for How Long?!
Parents, it is time to mark your calendars. Thanksgiving is upon us, followed immediately by finals and the end of the Fall 2005 semester.
For the second year in a row, SMU will not be holding classes on the Wednesday before Thanksgiving, allowing students heading home for the holidays to have a “free” travel day.
Two of the most important school days of the entire semester though are Monday, November 21 and Tuesday, November 22 – encourage your son or daughter to be in class! These two days enable students to ask questions about pending papers and upcoming tests while demonstrating to the professor their interest in the classroom material.
After Thanksgiving, there are only four days of class. Thursday, December 1, is the official last day. Reading/study days are Friday and Saturday, December 2 and 3. Finals exams begin Monday, December 5, and end Saturday, December 10.
If your son or daughter is staying on campus over Thanksgiving, be sure they tell their RA and Hall Director that they will be in the residence hall. There is always staff on call, and a number of group activities are planned during the break for those students staying in Dallas.
Thanksgiving, as well as the long winter break, provides students with some much-needed R&R (rest and relaxation), but both breaks can be stressful as well. The pressures of finishing a paper and studying for finals may be as important to your son or daughter as the activities you have planned. Be sure to consult with them on all holiday plans, and realize that they may be anxious to reconnect with high school friends while they are home.
Most students will have at least a month at home before the start of the Spring 2006 semester. The first day of class is Tuesday, January 17, 2006. Enjoy this time with your son or daughter. They do grow up fast!
Question for Deanie? Ask Deanie at gkepler@smu.edu or 214-768-4797.
